France opened up their World Cup account with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Honduras in Group E on Sunday night, as Karim Benzema shone to have a hand in all three of the goals.
Here, Sports Mole rates all of the players involved in the action at the Estadio Beira-Mar in Porto Alegre.
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France
Goal
Hugo Lloris: Had very little to do in the game, though he showed great leadership to command his box when necessary. Collected crosses cleanly when needed without any issues. (7/10)
Defence
Mathieu Debuchy: Did well to get forward and peg the Honduran midfielders back. Was always a threat whether in possession or on the counter. Also shot from the edge of the box to enable Karim Benzema to grab France's third goal. (7/10)
Raphael Varane: Played well alongside his fellow defenders, but perhaps looked a little shaky when placed under physical strain. Was able to combat this with some good positioning and decision making. (7/10)
Mamadou Sakho: Wasn't asked to do much all evening, but was mainly efficient when asked to do so. Did give away the ball carelessly in the second half, allowing Honduras to trouble Lloris for the only time in the game. (6/10)
Patrice Evra: Sometimes suspect defensively when getting forward, but didn't need to worry tonight given his brilliance going forward. Had a hand in most attacks and provided a perfect cross for Blaise Matuidi, who should have scored. (8/10)
Midfield
Blaise Matuidi: Controlled the midfield well and provided resilience when required. Also set up a number of important moves and perhaps should have bagged himself a goal or two (7/10)
Paul Pogba: Fantastic performance from the young Frenchman. Showed great strength and skill in equal measure to push France forward, also won the penalty to set Les Bleus on their way. (8/10)
Antoine Griezmann: Youngster showed real quality when in possession and helped to create a number of chances. Made one mistake all night having been flagged offside from a short corner. (8/10)
Mathieu Valbuena: One of the players to make a real difference. Was everywhere on the pitch and looked to always pass forward, whether it was short or long. Made great runs to make room for Benzema too. (9/10)
Yohan Cabaye: Played the perfect supporting role and looked to pull the strings from deep. Got stuck in against a brutish Honduran side and also created the second goal. (8/10)
Attack
Karim Benzema: The standout player for France against Honduras, scored two and had a major hand in the third. Great movement and use of strength up front and clinical when called upon. (9/10)
Substitutes
RIo Mavuba: Came on midway through the second half and didn't have too much of an impact. Settled into the team well and got on with his job of ticking the ball over. (6/10)
Moussa Sissoko: Looked to liven things up following his introduction and used his pace to get down the right flank. Almost carved out a goal-scoring opportunity. (7/10)
Olivier Giroud: Introduced fairly late on and did well to get involved. Might have worked the goalkeeper with a header from Evra's cross (6/10)
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Honduras
Goal
Noel Valladares Easily the best Honduran player. Made a number of good saves to prevent his side from losing even more emphatically. (8/10)
Defence
Brayan Beckeles: Unable to cope with the guile of Valbuena, looked vulnerable all night. (5/10)
Emilio Izaguirre: Appeared a little lost on the pitch, especially when Benzema or any of France's attackers moved forward with the ball. (5/10)
Victor Bernardez: Again, was often out of his depth against France's more intuitive attackers. (5/10)
Maynor Figueroa: Perhaps the best Honduran defender. Lost his composure a little and committed a few nasty tackles as the game wore on. (6/10)
Midfield
Andy Najar: One of the more enterprising players for Honduras, looked to use his pace on the counter, though his teammates failed to provide him with any service. (7/10)
Luis Garrido: Virtually anonymous throughout and failed to press Cabaye, leaving France with far too much room in midfield. (5/10)
Roger Espinoza: Showed glimmers of class early on, but faded rapidly and gave the ball away too often. (5/10)
Wilson Palacios: An appalling performance. Should've been sent off earlier. Clumsy to give away the penalty. (4/10)
Attack
Carlo Costly: Tried hard to use his pace by pulling out wide on the flanks. Lack of service from midfield left him isolated and unable to get involved when needed. (6/10)
Jerry Bengtson: Unable to impact the game through a lack of service. Failed to press France's forwards. (5/10)
Substitutes
Marvin Chavez: Ineffectual having been brought on. Not much he could do to stem the flow of France, though. (6/10)
Jorge Claros: Merely a passenger as France marauded forwards. (5/10)
Oscar Garcia: Put in a shift despite probably knowing France would run away with the game. (6/10)
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